championship 9's number tba - maymagic 9's 16 club - juneRLEF 9s 16 national teams,that come under the RLEF* banner..plus the likes of *usa,jamaica,south africa etc - insteas of a mid season international - july

I think they should keep the nines as it is, a club format with a welcome mat to say a island team with no club players involved. ? So say Fiji wanted to add a team, or PNG, then allow them to enter a team but they cant pick any players from the club footy teams, so Uate and Ranrandra would not be allowed to play for Fiji, and Segreago or David Mead would not be allowed to play for PNG. That would keep the game not a proper international make-up and not dilute the nines to a international contest, only use that for Commonwealth games or Olympics.

It will make sure the contest does not become too intense. That could spoil this thing.

All the super league clubs can be invited, after a nines playoff system so the top 4 teams can enter.

Someone said that Magic week-end be replaced by nines, yes, and to make it even more exciting, turn it into a qualifying comp for the NRL Auckland nines and it will become a huge success.

Anyhow, happy days.

The NRL is booming, nines has been a revelation, so has Dave Smith and Jim Doyle.

“Thirteen years I’ve been involved with the Warriors,’’ Watson said. “And I would never have envisaged 16 NRL CEOs sitting in my lounge room and the CEO of the NRL as well.

“Then to have them all come and play at Eden Park ... we all have big dreams, but to imagine it even occurring was beyond any dreams.

“The exciting thing is that the NRL has matured so much. When I was first involved in the game, the CEOs didn’t like each other, the coaches didn’t like each other.

“That extended to how it was operated as an organisation but it got to the point where these guys realised we’re all on the same team.

“The CEOs are all on the same team. They have a brand, they have a business and they have a sport that competes with others. And now they’re getting their act together and the result is this.’’

Stands packed with fans cheering on the Warriors during the Auckland Nines at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand. pic Mark EvansSource: News Limited

By “this” he means consecutive capacity crowds of 46,000 in a country obsessed with rugby union — and New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key walking freely among the masses, smiling for photos with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers.

The atmosphere at the event was unlike the raw emotion that grips us during State of Origin. Different too to NRL grand final day, when only two teams matter.

It was a carnival of high-powered rugby league skill and athleticism, a celebration and an advertisement that will leave a footprint in New Zealand long after the yellow five-point try paint has been removed from Eden Park.

Bulldogs, Sharks, Warriors and Tigers merchandise all sold out before midday yesterday.

“It’s like something we’ve never seen before,’’ an NRL official said.

Even Smith, who refuses to sway from the script of “expansion’’ and ‘‘growth’’, couldn’t help having a subtle dig at the rival code as he stared out over a raucous crowd.

“This is much better than sevens,’’ Smith said.

Kodi Nikorima of the Broncos on his way to a try against the Eels during the Auckland Nines at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand. pic Mark EvansSource: News Limited

So impressed with the entertaining, expansive and high-risk style of rugby league that the Nines promotes, one chairman of a Sydney NRL club is already planning to introduce a Nines carnival within his junior league.

“It will be an annual event here, but there could be subsections of mini NRL Nines in other places that feed into this,’’ Watson said. “The value of that commercially for sponsors, for owners, is massive.’’

However, the true measure of where the Nines ranks among the players will come next year.

Will the stars who sat out this year try to twist the arms of their coaches who want to keep them in cotton wool? As Brisbane’s Alex Glenn said: “Everyone in the NRL wants to be a part of this.”

We've had that type of event/atmosphere for decades, it's called the Challenge Cup final.

Fwiw as a Championship fan I have no interest in Magic Weekend in its current format but if they made it a SL 9s tournament I'd definitely go and I'm sure I'd be able to get some rl newbies to come as well!

There is nothing like this.

Unlike the CC final , it isn't the intensity of nerve wracking Club V Club final.

There are sixteen clubs all thrown in together sitting side by side all at once.

I can't do the experience justice from a keyboard.

The last word will go to ticket sales next year which will be gone on the first day.

It is a Sea of CLub colours.

More like a Rugby club Olympics crowd without the ESL there, akin to the Cold War Olympics with the yanks patting themselves on the back in the absence of the Eastern BLock....it could be better.

It mentions that the NRL and the Event holders shared 10 million from the event. Add Merchandise sales which soldout, not to mention every man women dog and his kids want to be part of this next year, along with anyone who is anyone and you have yourself a World-class event held in a future events city. Auckland. They have big ambitions as well.

I'm disappointed to see they are going to play the 9's in NZ for the next 3 years.

No disrespect to NZ but the growth potential there is very limited

Limited by The popularity/power of NZRU and by population size.

Population of UK 63.7 million

Population of Australia 22.7 million

Population of NZ 4.4 million

Population of China 1,351 million

RU have control of Japan, but there are countries that don't have successful sporting teams that could build a name for themselves in RL's small pond.

NZ is a very small market in global terms, how will a focus of resources on NZ grow the Brand significantly ?

I think those figures miss the point entirely ( not having a go at you it seems simple maths supports the traditional view ) .

Rugby league has had a televised presence in those countries ( forget about China they have gone to Union and they are communist = they are concrete thinkers , first and last served )

England for all the millions , Aussie for all it's Millions....have had rugby league available to those fan groups for a century.

NZ on the other hand has had nothing of significance television Audience wise & no professional rugby league comp to follow.

Mean time it has produced the best Rugby team in the world.

Those are the factors Rugby league need to take a close look at. They produce more quality rugby players for the small numbers playing and the other big two countries have fed off them for a long time.

The NZ part of the pie has been poorly supported by the world of Rugby league to it's overall detriment.

The NRL has done the most to support NZ rugby league.

Rugby League is looking like gaining two to three Million more fans in the NZ nines format.

Where are those numbers instantly available in the bigger markets like the UK and Aus ? ...they're not...they're hypothetical versus the real market the NRL nines has exposed

championship 9's number tba - maymagic 9's 16 club - juneRLEF 9s 16 national teams,that come under the RLEF* banner..plus the likes of *usa,jamaica,south africa etc - insteas of a mid season international - july

sounds a winner to me

Too much of it. One pre-season jamboree is all fun, but we don't need it taking over the real version and going overboard with the nines concept. That said, I would like to see a 9s WC every four years.

Unlike the CC final , it isn't the intensity of nerve wracking Club V Club final.

There are sixteen clubs all thrown in together sitting side by side all at once.

I can't do the experience justice from a keyboard.

The last word will go to ticket sales next year which will be gone on the first day.

It is a Sea of CLub colours.

More like a Rugby club Olympics crowd without the ESL there, akin to the Cold War Olympics with the yanks patting themselves on the back in the absence of the Eastern BLock....it could be better.

They have to be there , it is unique

Obviosuly I wasn't at the 9s and I'm sure it was great and hopefully in a few years it will still be going strong and I'll get to experience it but the CC final is well known for being a mixture of fans from the 14 Super League teams, 23 Championship clubs and Amateur teams. All of them sitting side by side all at once. Obviously the two sets of teams in the final make up the majority of the crowd but a high percentage are neutrals who buy there tickets well in advance before they know who is at the final. There is a family friendly amotsphere with fans from most if not all of the English clubs being in attendance and its the same at the Magic Weekend to a lesser extent.

I'm not wanting to put down how good the 9s probably were, but we do have comparable events/atmospheres over here already.

Obviosuly I wasn't at the 9s and I'm sure it was great and hopefully in a few years it will still be going strong and I'll get to experience it but the CC final is well known for being a mixture of fans from the 14 Super League teams, 23 Championship clubs and Amateur teams. All of them sitting side by side all at once. Obviously the two sets of teams in the final make up the majority of the crowd but a high percentage are neutrals who buy there tickets well in advance before they know who is at the final. There is a family friendly amotsphere with fans from most if not all of the English clubs being in attendance and its the same at the Magic Weekend to a lesser extent.

I'm not wanting to put down how good the 9s probably were, but we do have comparable events/atmospheres over here already.

The main difference is the fans all have teams playing in the same place they all have hopes and a chance of winning the whole lot. It's around fifteen hours of it.

If people understood fully the inroads the Auckland Nines made in a Rugby Union country , I doubt they would be so keen to shift it away from Auckland.

I'm not opposed to other countries / Cities hosting tournaments in this format , but I subscribe strongly to expansion.

Most Non Kiwi Fans have a distorted view of the state of Rugby league in NZ. Probably the Hyperbole that goes with the profile of the more successful Kiwi players has created a sense that Rugby league runs a competitive secound or third place to other sports in NZ.

The game struggles to make any headway with the Religion that is Union here. The Nines has given the League game a massive boost in profile. NZ out performs the reality of it's impoverished Local League scene.

The highest paid players in our equivalent of the ESL and NRL would get about two hundred Pounds a week. Most play for free.

Rugby league has never won an award at the NZ sports awards. Winning a world cup got Zero recognition behind Rowing etc.

We Punch above our weight.

We needed a shock and Awe campaign to Woo the Sports mad kiwi Public along to a Rugby league event.

In the War for the NZ sporting dollar......the NRL just let off a Nuke in Rugby Union central.

Batten down the hatches.....the Union Machine had talk back radio a buzz the following day with the debate topic ' NRL Nines Versus Sevens .....are the Nines just a gimmick '

The Wars just started , first round to rugby league....why should we want to withdraw the troops to other strongholds of world league now ?

The Ultimate prize is great. Winning the NZ public would see an increase in numbers faster than any other Rugby league Market ( how do I know ? It's already proving to be the case ).

I think the NRL needs to keep Auckland at the center of any expansion plans. It is a strong anchor point. Set up other nines tournaments sure....but keep Auckland firmly where it is.....leading the New Zealand Sports event Calender.

I dont think Auckland will hold onto the Nines for as long as you think. They might have it played in Auckland every second year, unless they enter more teams and hold it over two week-ends. Then you could play the first weekend round in Brisbane, and the second weekend and finals in Auckland, that would work well. Everyone would be happy, the fans, the sponsors and the TV execs and NRL board.

Every second year reverse the finals so both cities enjoy seeing the beginning and finals. I suppose Melbourne will want a part of the action, and probably Perth.

This is going to be huge, you do realise that. Just today Suncorp Corp the stadium hirarky want to hold this event in Brisbane, more retired players are coming forward to have a crack, Free-to-air TV want the rights, and the Salford Devils coach wants to create his own Nines tournament in Dubai, Saudi Arabia.

This will go global, and if they treat it like the iPL Cricket, it will become huge. Buying players to get for your team, billionaires love that stuff.

This is the tip of the iceburg, and the Nines as i knew is a perfect game for this event, it is why everyone is going banana's over the Nines, everyone, even Union.

They must be kicking themselves.

Nines will take over the world as a short form of Rugby, be it League or union.

They need to patient that short version of Nines Tens and elevens.

So NRL nines tens and elevens, Super league Nines Tens and Elevens, World Cup Nines Tens and elevens.